lswcih

I had a reservation for a Hampton Inn, standard room, king bed. Under my notes in the reservation, I requested a 3rd floor (top floor room - I don't like the noise from people walking in the floors above me), odd number because the even number rooms face the freeway.

Yesterday I did an eCheck-in for the hotel and when I went to select the room, under the room which was preselected for me I was assigned a 3rd floor, odd number room, 1 king studio suite. As a Diamond, and someone who has stayed at this hotel over 30 times/60 nights in the last year....I assumed they upgraded me. I did the eCheck-in, and the receipt which I printed out showed under "Your Room":

Room 335*
1 King Studio Sofabed Nosmok
No-Smoking Room; Floor 3:
* Room number is subject to change.

When I arrived at the hotel today, they gave me a king regular room on the first floor. I showed the clerk the printout from the echeck-in, but the clerk told me that all the studio suites were gone...and even as a Diamond, it is subject to availability. However, the person who checked in before me as a walk-up, just got assigned a king studio suite.

Am a wrong to be upset about this? Yes, I reserved only a regular king room, but when I did the echeck-in, the room I was echecked into was a 3rd floor king studio. The only change the hotel should be able to do is a different room number 3rd floor king studio suite....since that was the only thing subject to change (room number). The room type at echeck-in should be a contract between the hotel and me.

I'm thinking about invoking the Hampton 100% guarantee for this stay. Any thoughts or comments?

Voodoo Daddy

Interesting. I recently did an e-checkin at a Hampton and when I arrived I was told that the room was not ready. I suggested that the FDC put me in another room, but she told me that since I had used e-checkin, the room could not be changed, period. Apparently the policy depends on the property and/or the convenience of hotel staff. It seems to me that if a walkup can be given your room, then e-checkin is meaningless.

smmrfld

Yes...I think you're way out of line. You state that you've stayed at this property 30 times and you obviously have been satisfied. Yet one minor - and yes, this is quite minor - glitch and you're ready to make them eat your room night? You obviously travel a fair amount - stuff happens, and this is hardly a big deal. Was your giraffe towed also?

RAPC

The eCheck-in system has (or at least it used to) a disclaimer on there saying that the room is not guaranteed and may be changed prior to arrival.

I have used eCheck-in at a number of hotels in the past and the majority of the time the room stays as per the check-in. Sometimes it doesn't though and I've had a better upgrade, a different room number and even a downgrade back to the room type I had booked.

It is frustrating when this happens, but I would imagine it doesn't happen too often either. I am not sure that room type at the point of eCheck-in is a contract. Surely the room type booked and paid for is the only requirement that they need to deliver on, with any (unpaid) upgrades being subject to availability on arrival. eCheck-in is there to speed up the process on arrival at the hotel and not the actual full check-in.

Personally I wouldn't be trying to invoke the Hampton 100% Guarantee, but I can understand the OP's frustration at feeling like they have been downgraded in these circumstances, even though they haven't in reality.

stifle

Hamptons don't provide an upgrade to Diamond guests as standard, so I suppose you got what you were entitled to in the end. But if you weren't 100% satisfied, they don't expect you to pay. Their words, not mine.

Often1

OP properly quoted the entire e-receipt which includes an asterisk and the words:

* Room number is subject to change.


So, OP got what he paid for and actually had his request for a 3rd floor room met.

Moreover, OP asked what happened to his UG room and was told that it wasn't available.

Not sure I understand why OP is upset, what the complaint is or what he wants done about it. His remedy here if he wants one is to negotiate with the property for his business with a guarantee of 50 nights/year in return for a suite at regular price or something such as that.

DiverDave

Nope. He was given a first floor room:

"When I arrived at the hotel today, they gave me a king regular room on the first floor. "

blue47

So far, I have found the Echeck-in to be quite useless.

zachary

There clearly is a disclaimer that allows them to change the room after you do the ELCI. However, I believe that one of our insiders (who works at a Hampton) has posted that the properties are strongly discouraged from making those changes. I have done ELCI bunch of times -- usually when I see an upgrade and want to try to minimize the chances that they will take it away before I get there -- and I have always received the room that I selected.

If I had stayed at a property 30 times, I'd first take it up with the GM. He or she has the most to lose if you take your business elsewhere.

Stripe

I have occasionally had the specific room number change, but if I was able to check into an upgraded room via e-checkin I always got that type of room when I arrived. I think the OP should complain to the property management (who should offer to upgrade him for free on his next visit) but if that was the only problem with this visit I don't think it merits invoking the satisfaction guarantee. It's a great example of horrible management of expectations. If the OP had not been offered the upgrade he would have been fine, but they offered it and then reneged, creating a lot of unnecessary ill will.

I also don't think the OP should be shy about identifying the property.

lswcih

I checked out this morning....paid...did not do the 100% guarantee. The morning FD clerk did apologize for the confusion and did not know what happened. He mentioned that typically they do not change rooms for the echeck-ins unless the room is still occupied.

I did send an e-mail to the hotel's room services person about the situtation, who last month did send me a e-mail promising the suite upgrades due to the number of past stays and Diamond status.

Thanks for everyone's comments/feedback.

elCheapoDeluxe

It sounds like it could be as simple as the previous guest in that room extended their stay. It doesn't have to be some nefarious conspiracy theory involving walkups and other evil forces.

nycboyz

0Thats correct. I stay at the same Hampton property 50 nights per year. 95% i get a room upgrade, buts thats because most of the clerks know me. Whenever a new clerk or a one not familiar with me assigns rooms I get a standard.

cfischer

It works 9/10 times for me, including recent upgrades at Hamptons.

slidergirl

Regarding that person ahead of the OP who was a walk-up: perhaps he was paying for the room, not an upgraded. If he wanted to pay for that room, then the FD certainly has the prerogative to take the "upgrade" and sell it. You can say that "based on availability at time of check in" was in play for this situation.